Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-26
DAGGER AT HIS THROAT.
The Revenge OF n Mexican Girl Whose
Lover Was Slain i'm a Duel.

Lover w aS slain in u Duel.
San Francisco Examiner: In the fall
of 1889 a party of Mexicans were travel
ing through what is now Butte county,
their destination being the valley where
the town of Chico now stands. The
train of horses and wagons with whicn
the men and women were journeying
in the slow style of that day belonged
to a Spaniard named Lapezada. He
and his family constituted the principal
portion of the party. He had many an
acre in Alta, Cal, and on his lands
grazed innumerable horses and cattle.
but his most priced possession was q
daughter, who was then, at sixteen
years of age, the very embodiment of
all that soft beauty and sensuous grace
peculiar to the women of Castilian de-
scent.
1t was natural for men to fall in love
with her. Like all girls with the warm,
passionate blood Of Mexico coursing
in her veins, her bodily development
had been rapid, her affections had
ripened early, and at sixteen years of
age she was already u woman.
Among those who were her Worship
ers were an American named Thomas
Lansing, who had been born in Ver-
mont, and a Scotchman named Harvey
McGruigan. They were constantly
near her, and the influence of her pres
ence never allowed their love to cool.
McGruigan had more opportunities
than Lansing to be in her society and
advance his suit, since he was secretary
to Don Lapezada and took his meals at
the table with the family. Lansing was
the wagon boss and had general charge
of the caravan while on the road. Both
had lived in Mexico and among the
Mexicans for long time and were as
familiar with the language as a native.
McGruigan was pleasant wooer, be-
sides being much handsOmer than Lam
sing, and soon the latter saw that his
rival was smiled upon, while he himself
had none of the girls regard. Naturally
fiery tempered, Lansing conceived u
violent hatred for the ScOtchman and
never missed chance to seek row
with McGruigan. Throughout the
journey he had repeatedly endeavOred
to involve McGruigan in trouble. 1t was
thus matters stood when the valley in
which Gridley is situated was reached.
There Lansing insulted McGruigan in
such manner that the latter yielded to
his angry feelings and challenged the
other to a duel. This was just what
Lansing desired. He had been waiting
for the moment when he might kill his
SUCCESSFUL flNtl ever SluCe UHe lovely
senorita had let the Scotchman know
that her heart was all his own.
None of the usual formalities of the
code was needed for such an encounter
as the men proposed. They repaired to
grove of timber then occupying the
site of what is at present the town OF
Gridley, and there, after short space
had been measured off, began shooting
! at each other with their pistols. Three
shots were fired by each man. The third
bullet from Lansing's pistol was effec-
tive. The ambition of his hatred had
been satisfied, as the leaden pellet en-.
| tered McGruigan's brain and he fell
down dead. Lansing himself had re-
| ceived a bullet in his left arm, and one
| shot from McGruigan's weapon had car
| ried away the lobe of his right ear.
Having satisfied himself that Nc
| Gruigan was dead and would trouble
him no longer, Lansing turned to leave
the spot. He had replaced his pistol in
his belt and given a last hasty glance at
| the face of the dead man, when from be.
hind the trees appeared the girl herself
She crept up behind Lansing and
stabbed him in the, neck with stiletto
| severing the jugular vein. He sunk or
the grass and died. The girl had
noticed the two men leaving camp, had
| been attracted to the scene of the due
| by the sound OF the firing, and had ar
| rived there in time to see the man she
| loved fall lifeless to the ground. The
fate OF the girl herself seems to have
| been forgotten.